This disclosure relates generally to tracking devices, and more specifically, to sending smart alerts based on a location of a user associated with a tracking device.
Users can attach tracking devices to one or more personal objects, such as keys, a phone, a car, a briefcase, and the like. The tracking device can communicatively couple to a mobile device of the user (or of a community member), and the mobile device can, in response to receiving a communication from the tracking device, determine a location of the mobile device (for instance, via a GPS receiver). The mobile device can then provide an identifier for the tracking device and the determined location of the mobile device to a cloud server, which can associate the tracking device with the determined location of the mobile device.
Tracking devices may move around with a user as they go about their daily activities, for instance when coupled (i.e., attached) to a laptop or included in a wallet. Users may sometimes accidentally leave a coupled object at various locations without realizing their error before travelling far away or forgetting where they last had possession of the coupled object. For example, a user may realize they left their coupled wallet at a store at a mall and may need to call multiple stores at the mall to determine which one has their wallet. This requires proactive action on behalf of the user, and the user is at risk of being unable to retrieve their lost item due to the time lapse between the loss and their realization of the loss. Thus, there is a need to be able to automatically be notified when the user does not possess an item coupled to a tracking device to prevent accidental loss of the item and inconvenience for the user.